4410+ Crime Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. Feed your fascination with the latest crime short stories. From thrilling accounts of lovable burglars to chilling tales of stone-cold murderers, these bite-sized pieces are so addictive, they should be illegal.

🏆 Winning stories

“Just Another Dead Girl Underwater” by Eliza Leonel

🏆 Winner of Contest #275

Trigger Warning: implications of death, violence and sexual harassment By the time the fisherman finds me, I will have been dead for thirty-three hours, six minutes, and twenty-nine seconds. Eighteen hours since the police declared me missing. Fifteen hours since Zoe told my biology teacher that my tent was empty, that I hadn’t returned from the party we’d snuck out to the night before. Careful, quiet, every twig a possible snitch. It was exhilarating, our hearts pounding, the smell of pine and seaweed thick in the air, and the moon a perfec...

83 likes 80 comments 80

Read story

“Petrified” by Eliza Entwistle

🏆 Winner of Contest #263

You would never have noticed it if you weren’t looking for it. That was precisely the point.The instructions given in my embroidery group had been clear enough: After nightfall, take a stroll on the second lane past the bakery, look for the unlit lamppost and turn down that dark alley, they said in hushed voices, as the pianist began playing in sudden loud fervor, by coincidence. Then you will see a mossy stone staircase, which you will descend, and at the end of it there is a dim hallway. She lives through the set of green doors on the left...

150 likes 104 comments 104

Read story

“When I Read Beckett” by Liz Grosul

🏆 Winner of Contest #241

…in…in this room…cursed room…loved?... cursed…. where she slept…half-grown in her hometown t-shirt…shorts…no shorts…t-shirt worn with holes…on the floor…he having thrown it…under the bed…dust collected and swept and settled again…. and again…who?... he… not she?...gracious!...there for the first time…assuredly last time…no boys in the room, father said…keep out!...nodded her head… but in the room…blue light hugging the window…scotch tape…peeling off the paint whether chipped or freshly laid or…exhumed…he found her in the— no, not found…held…...

94 likes 74 comments 74

Read story

⭐️ Recommended stories

“Trial by Egotism” by Joseph Ellis

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #268

The Honorable Judge Harold Bribar strode to the bench bearing a coy smile. The court knew that smile well, as did millions watching on viewscreens all over Mars. As did tens of millions back on Earth who wouldn’t get the feed for another hour or so. They also knew the arch of his thick gray eyebrows, the well-trimmed salt-and-pepper hair he’d gracefully let recede, the petite spectacles he wore when reading, and the mild way he cleared his throat to bring the whole courtroom to attention. In offense to all known theories of jurisprudence, Ju...

19 likes 19 comments 19

Read story

“Under the Mediterranean sun” by M.D. Adler

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #262

Please regard this as my full confession. I do not wish to die with a heavy heart. I wish you were able to see him just now. He is preparing to land the final blow, and I know I will be dead within seconds; yet, even when he harbors murder in his eyes, I have never seen a more attractive, more enticing - more, more, more - beautiful human than him. Please do not take offense to this, I am sure you are quite tantalizing yourself; I probably would have stalked and hurt you too, as many times as I did him, if we had had the pleasure to meet bef...

39 likes 47 comments 47

Read story

“Easy Money” by Eddie Whitlock

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #260

Easy MoneyPart I: Steve Debbie said that it was lucky for us, that the weather would make for fewer people on the roads, less chance we’d be seen. Twenty-five freaking degrees? I do not like the cold. This will be the first time I’ve ever done anything with Randy. This thing was his idea, I think, but it was Debbie that brought me into it. There’s six thousand dollars to be had and it sounds like no problem having it – if you don’t mind robbing some old lady, which I don’t. This weather is awful, though. They’re always predicting snow, but w...

15 likes 7 comments 7

Read story

Introducing Prompted, a new magazine written by you!

🏆 Featuring 12 prize-winning stories from our community. Download it now for FREE.

Download

✍️ All stories

“Soulsaving virginity” by Dzhamilia Gasanova

Submitted to Contest #276

As if the night had come too early, the spring darkness of Kyiv was heavy and damp. Wet from the constant rain, the streets were still deserted, but alive with the downpours, the wind that yawned on our skin, and the wet shoes that vibrated on the sidewalk.He was tall and walked beside me. It was our first date. His shoulders were slightly hunched, as if he had a habit of defending himself. The black, wet coat seemed too wide. His curly brown curls clung to his caramel skull, and the rain dripped from his hair in almost a trickle. He had the...

10 likes 7 comments 7

Read story

“Stalking Over Grinds” by Tamara Lieberman

Submitted to Contest #276

The Escape:  Later  I yearn to be in my townhouse with my striped cat, Raskolnikov, entwined securely around my torso, his paws protectively grasping my arm; instead, I drive to the Target off of 611 to hide among the many crowded aisles of suspiciously too jolly and gluttonous Saint Nicks juxtaposed with eerie elf animatronics coming to life with a slight tussle, their green eyes peering at the eager shoppers.  It is early November, and the moon is shaded by Nimbostratus clouds fortelling rain.  I glance at the time–8:4...

4 likes 1 comment 1

Read story

“Time is Short” by Nicholas Amato

Submitted to Contest #275

A man is limply running through the streets of New York, weaving between herds of commuters who are too busy to look up from their phones. As he runs, he glances left and see’s the corner street sign reads 58th and Madison Ave. Ten more blocks to go. He returns his attention in front of him, but it’s too late. He collides with a man in his fifties who is carrying a cup of coffee. Hot liquid scolds the runner, who screams out in agony. But it doesn’t slow him down. After all, the clock’s ticking.  “What the fuck?!” the man holding the co...

8 likes 3 comments 3

Read story

“The Question” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #275

How do you go about accusing a family you’ve never met of being murderers? That was a thought that tumbled through Fletcher’s head on the drive up to Weyauwega.He hadn’t trained to ask these sorts of questions to strangers. At any point, he could have turned around back to Milwaukee, but he continued ever northward. His destination, Weyauwega, was beyond where the farmlands of southern Wisconsin turn into the marshy forests of the north. The inhospitable land that Native American tribes were driven in order to free up farmland for immigrants...

16 likes 18 comments 18

Read story

“The Graduating Class” by Aimee Lavigne

Submitted to Contest #275

(Note: very brief mentions of domestic violence, drugs/alcohol, and other poverty/trauma related events) The counseling office at Fir Grove High School managed to feel both somber and chaotic. There were two counselors for about 400 students. They had the usual stress of managing class schedules and providing college and career advice. But five students in the senior class had gone missing since the school year started.  Fir Grove was a small town on the edge of a forest in western Oregon. It was a tight-knit community, and five missin...

2 likes 2 comments 2

Read story

“KILLER FATE” by Bill Davis

Submitted to Contest #275

She looked familiar. Of course, I had seen the picture, had memorized it in fact. When you are charged with killing someone, you have to know what they look like.  Let’s go back a little bit. I am Terry Harveson but that is just my name. I am a security guard at Maryville Auto Parts, a manufacturing company in the middle of Tennessee, but that is just my occupation. I am also ex-military that trained as a sniper with the 82nd Airborne and had seen action in a couple of places that I am forbidden to mention. After returning to the states...

5 likes 6 comments 6

Read story

“Sweet dreams, honey” by Gabrijela Klobucar

Submitted to Contest #275

She saw it again. Surrounded by different trees with newly blooming flowers and small animals hidden behind each bush. It was early morning and she was running on the dewy grass, dancing enjoying herself without any worries in this cruel world. The world she had known since she was a child. In addition to beautiful butterflies of different species, she was surrounded by chirping birds announcing another wonderful day.  "Lamia, breakfast is coming soon!" she heard her mother's voice. "Just a little longer, mom," she said cheer...

2 likes 1 comment 1

Read story

“Dear Friend” by Maria Esther Vilar Alvarez

Submitted to Contest #275

Trigger Warning: This story contains themes of depression, self-harm, grief, and death, including references to mental health struggles and traumatic experiences. Dear Emma Marghareta, I see you've been using the Ouija board again. You must understand: this is not a game. It can be dangerous, even deadly. But tonight, you’re fortunate. I am the one who answered. I mean you no harm, though others might not be so kind. I came to you because there’s something you need to know. A story that must be told. My story. I was once a girl, just like yo...

3 likes 1 comment 1

Read story

“Witches Union 106” by Brian Carney

Submitted to Contest #275

It was one of those deceptive days, the sky was clear with a soft blue hue. The sun shone brightly; a few golden leaves fluttered back and forth, still clinging to the tree it used to feed. The wind and ambient temperature did not get the same memo. The cold bit your cheeks and nose as soon as you stepped outside, letting you know that winter was still coming, and the Indian summer day yesterday, was just another of Mother Nature's jokes.               She pulled the ...

3 likes 0 comments 0

Read story

“Just Another Dead Girl Underwater” by Eliza Leonel

🏆 Winner of Contest #275

Trigger Warning: implications of death, violence and sexual harassment By the time the fisherman finds me, I will have been dead for thirty-three hours, six minutes, and twenty-nine seconds. Eighteen hours since the police declared me missing. Fifteen hours since Zoe told my biology teacher that my tent was empty, that I hadn’t returned from the party we’d snuck out to the night before. Careful, quiet, every twig a possible snitch. It was exhilarating, our hearts pounding, the smell of pine and seaweed thick in the air, and the moon a perfec...

83 likes 80 comments 80

Read story

“Purspective” by Joseph Murray

Submitted to Contest #275

For as long as I could remember, my mother let me sleep in her room. She even brought my bed into her bedroom. My days were filled with drinking milk and playing. Occasionally, my mother would bathe me which was the absolute worst. Other than that, life was grand. In the words of my mother, I was her precious little guy. Everything was going great until one fateful night.I lay curled up in my bed while my mother slept in her bed next to mine. Though I was mostly asleep, an annoying noise kept threatening to pull me from the chains of unconsc...

7 likes 6 comments 6

Read story

“The Scars that Make Us” by MJ Brewer

Submitted to Contest #275

Thud. Thud. Thud. For the past eleven years, it was the same frantic race for the same minuscule amount of time. One hour. Then, she’d have to wait another 8,766.82 hours—an entire year—for the chance to funnel back to her again. But that wasn’t the worst part; with time slipping away, her opportunities were dwindling. She had exactly a dozen chances—not a baker’s dozen; twelve. She wasn’t sure how she arrived at that time-constraining conclusion, but she had, nonetheless. After that, the rest of her existence would echo in her ear...

8 likes 2 comments 2

Read story

“A Failed Mission” by Parker Benton

Submitted to Contest #275

Hestia could hear heavy breathing over her comms.  She could also hear sirens. As the sound seemed to get closer she started to worry. “ Ares check-in. Can you hear me?” Hestia called through her comms  “Loud and Clear!” Ares confirmed. “What’s going on? Are you okay? She couldn’t imagine what she would do if he were in danger. His dad would never let her hear the end of it. “ Don’t worry I’m A Ok! The cops seem to have gotten the idea that I’M the criminal.” Okay, everything was fine. She just needed to get over there. Wherever “t...

2 likes 4 comments 4

Read story

“Until We Meet Again” by Jeff Meade

Submitted to Contest #275

An eerie wind blew through the black police cruiser’s cracked windows, swirling wisps of Detective Jimmy Daleson’s Camel Straight out into the moonlight. The street lamp just down the road cast spooky shadows across the sidewalk, leaving plenty of dark spaces for the night’s denizens to slink into.  Halloween stakeouts always posed challenges for detectives, sleuthing for their mark amongst costumed revelers. “Halloween is busy tonight. Seems like the crowds are thicker than last year,” his partner Officer Dominguez remarked, eyeballing...

12 likes 4 comments 4

Read story

“The Reckoning” by Kate Simkins

Submitted to Contest #275

As I followed down the street, the road wet beneath my feet,I crossed my heart and on the street I spat,For to follow behind a cat, A black one, at that,Was crazy, but then she looked at me and sat.  I met her eyes and they were green, the strangest I’d ever seen,She looked at me, right into my soul,And I knew that I must follow, That my pride, I must swallow,And face my past if I was to be whole. She lead to the garden of graves, and I knew that I must be brave,And face the demons that I held within,And so as she began to pur...

16 likes 6 comments 6

Read story